CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 144: I COMPLETELY TEAR OFF THE XAVIER FAMILY’S FIG LEAF [ABUSING SCUM, SO SATISFYING!]

Sophia Kendall’s eyes were bloodshot, and her voice was sharp enough to pierce eardrums: "Timothy, she’s right! Zoe Ellison has brought disgrace to The Xavier Family, and her mother should pay the price for it!"

Faye Warren discreetly glanced at Serena Sawyer behind her, exchanging a meaningful look.

Serena instantly understood.

Zoe Ellison’s sudden attack had caught more than just them off guard.

The real money losses of The Xavier Group had already driven Sophia Kendall into a frenzy.

Even if they did nothing, this woman would never let Zoe Ellison get away with it.

Timothy Xavier remained silent, his brow furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

Sophia Kendall chastised him bitterly: "Timothy, how did you end up like this? Hesitant and indecisive! Have you forgotten how ruthless you were dealing with The Shaw Family, driving them to jump out the window overnight? Now, use the same approach to deal with The Ellison Family! I refuse to believe Zoe Ellison won’t beg for mercy!"

Timothy Xavier’s jawline tightened into a cold, hard arc.

Under the relentless pressure from his mother, he finally spoke, his voice icy: "No one is to touch her mother."

As soon as he spoke, the three women in the hospital room were simultaneously shocked, their eyes filled with resentment.

Timothy Xavier took a deep breath and said slowly and deliberately: "All the grievances and endurance she has suffered over the years were for her mother. If I stop the equipment, she’d never forgive me for life."

Sophia Kendall said incredulously, "Timothy Xavier, do you even know what you’re saying? Zoe Ellison has pushed us to this point, making The Xavier Family a laughingstock, and you still protect her? Do you even care about Xavier Group anymore! Do you think not touching her mother will make her grateful and stop her from hating you? You’re dreaming!"

"I’ll say it again!" Timothy Xavier suddenly raised his voice, with an undeniable warning in his tone, "Without my permission, no one is allowed to touch Zoe Ellison or her mother. I will handle the crisis of Xavier Group and everything caused by this public opinion myself."

"How will you handle it?" Sophia Kendall shouted in exasperation, "Look at the stock price of Xavier Group! It’s still falling! If this continues, the shareholders will revolt tomorrow and remove you from the presidency! Ethan Xavier, that wolf cub, has been eyeing your position for a long time. How long do you think you can hold on?"

Timothy Xavier’s lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

He forcefully shook off his mother’s hand and turned to leave the hospital room, slamming the door behind him with a "bang."

The room instantly fell into dead silence.

Serena Sawyer’s eyes were practically overflowing with jealousy and resentment.

She subtly exchanged looks with Faye Warren, who quickly stepped forward to support the trembling Sophia Kendall, speaking in a lowered voice: "Sophia, seeing Timothy like this, could it be that Zoe Ellison has driven him to madness?"

Not seeing any objection from Sophia Kendall, Faye Warren continued, "Actually, this matter isn’t hard to resolve. You’re a shareholder of Xavier Group and hold a significant number of shares. Why don’t you unite with the other veteran shareholders and jointly propose a motion to forcibly stop the equipment for Zoe’s mother? No matter how much Timothy wants to protect Zoe, he can’t afford to go against Xavier Group’s shareholders and risk his future!"

Faye Warren had thought these words would earn Sophia Kendall’s agreement since they were all in the same boat now.

But Sophia Kendall suddenly turned to her with a voice full of disdain and anger: "You have the nerve to speak! It’s your good daughter who’s to blame! If she hadn’t stirred up trouble to the point of no return, how would Zoe be driven into a corner? How would Timothy end up in this situation? I’m telling you, Faye Warren, even without Zoe, your daughter can forget about stepping into The Xavier Family!"

Having said that, Sophia Kendall didn’t look at Faye Warren and her daughter again, leaving with a body full of anger and resentment, her high heels clacking on the floor.

Faye Warren and Serena Sawyer had not expected Sophia Kendall to say such words.

Faye Warren said bitterly: "This damned old woman, really kicking us when we’re down! Who was it crying and pleading for you to hurry up and marry Timothy Xavier? Now, when something goes wrong, she pushes all the blame onto us, turning on us just like that!"

Serena Sawyer seemed not to hear her mother’s complaints, her eyes empty as she stared at the ground, muttering repeatedly: "It’s over, I’m done for! Timothy Xavier is protecting Zoe Ellison, and Sophia Kendall despises me too. No, I can’t just sit waiting for death, I can’t!"

At the end, her voice grew quieter, yet it carried a coldness and determination.

Serena Sawyer would never allow herself to be defeated by Zoe Ellison like this, never!

...

On the steps outside the hospital entrance, Sophia Kendall had just stepped out when a barrage of flashes suddenly burst, dazzling her to the point she couldn’t open her eyes.

Over a dozen reporters sprang up from behind the flower beds on both sides, microphones and recording pens nearly poking into her face.

"Ms. Kendall! Please hold on!"

"What do you have to say about the marriage turmoil between President Xavier and Zoe Ellison?"

The unexpected situation startled Sophia Kendall, instinctively making her take a step back.

She wanted to dodge into the car, but the reporters had surrounded her tightly, not allowing her near the door.

Now, the issue between Zoe Ellison and Timothy Xavier had already reached its peak.

The reporters originally aimed at Zoe Ellison, looking to dig up more infidelity scandals.

But The Sinclair Family had precautions, with security around the villa increased fivefold, not allowing any unfamiliar faces near.

Though Zoe Ellison was at the center of controversy, she was living peacefully at The Sinclair Estate.

Unable to interview the main figure, the reporters naturally turned their aim towards The Xavier Family.

"Ms. Kendall, how do you view the relationship between your son and your daughter-in-law Zoe Ellison?" a bespectacled female reporter first asked sharply, "Everyone says President Xavier has long been covertly involved with Serena Sawyer. As the mother-in-law, do you condone this?"

Another male reporter immediately followed up, his voice overpowering the surrounding noise: "It’s said that Serena Sawyer is now staying at this hospital. Did you come today specifically to discuss with her how to respond to the public relations crisis?"

"Ms. Kendall, I’ve reviewed the videos where you openly supported your son and his lover Serena Sawyer. As a mother, openly supporting your son’s infidelity, is this not a moral degradation?"

The barrage of questions pricked at Sophia Kendall like needles, making her tremble all over.

Already fuming over Timothy Xavier’s stance, now cornered by reporters, she thought of future gatherings in the socialite circles, where she’d be pointed at and laughed at behind her back, her dignity completely shredded.

A fierce anger surged to her head, and she wished she could immediately confront Zoe Ellison, the woman who had ruined her son and disgraced The Xavier Family, and tear her apart.

Seeing her livid expression yet her prolonged silence, the reporters pressed harder in their questions.

Sophia Kendall took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging rage, and suddenly lifted her head.

A trace of disdain and bitterness flashed in her eyes as she coldly scoffed into the microphones at the front: "Yes, Timothy’s infidelity was wrong, I don’t deny that."

This declaration caused the scene to quiet down a bit, reporters thinking she was about to apologize, all pricking up their ears.

Yet, the next second, Sophia Kendall’s tone sharply changed, loaded with contempt: "But who is Zoe Ellison? Just an orphan with no one to rely on! When she first went to great lengths to marry in, it was no more than to covet the luxury and wealth of The Xavier Family."

She paused, her voice growing sharper: "Timothy and Serena have not been together just for a day or two. They appear in public frequently together; Zoe isn’t blind, is she? Why didn’t she speak up from the start? Why wait until the matter blew up, until Timothy and Xavier Group were pushed to the forefront, to cry foul? Ultimately, she’s reluctant to give up the position of young lady of The Xavier Family, coveting our wealth and not wanting a divorce!"

These words struck the ground forcefully, instantly igniting the atmosphere, with flashes bursting out wildly, and the reporters’ questions growing more excited.

At that moment, the driver from The Kendall Family, seeing his master trapped, had already contacted bodyguards.

Under the protection of bodyguards, Sophia staggered into the car.

...

The Sinclair Estate.

Push notifications kept popping up on the phone screen; within a few hours, Sophia’s words at the hospital entrance had spread all over the internet.

The comment section, originally focused on criticizing Timothy’s infidelity and Serena’s intrusion, suddenly split into another wave of accusations aimed directly at me.

"I knew it wasn’t that simple! As much as the cheating couple is hateful, Zoe’s not so innocent either!"

"If she wasn’t after the Xavier Family’s money, why would she put up with it quietly all these years? What was she doing all this time?"

"Now it seems like Timothy wants to ditch her, won’t give her any benefits, so she jumps out pretending to be a victim! Her methods are on par with Serena Sawyer!"

"Laughable, it’s essentially a drama of two gold-diggers fighting over a scumbag, no one should pretend to be holier-than-thou!"

Reading these glaring comments, Madam Sinclair angrily slapped the armrest of the sofa, exclaiming, "This is simply nonsense! That woman Sophia Kendall, to protect her son, can say such things that turn black into white. She’s worse than an animal!"

I gently patted the old lady’s back, trying to keep my voice calm: "Grandma, don’t get upset. These words can’t hurt me, and I’ve already figured out my next steps. Rest assured, this time, I won’t take a single step back."

Just as I finished speaking, the phone suddenly rang; it was Jenna calling.

I pressed the answer button, and her voice came through the receiver, carrying a bit of concern: "Zoe, I’m guarding mom’s hospital room. Right now, the public opinion outside is fierce, and Timothy is probably busy handling Xavier Group’s crisis, temporarily unable to manage this side. But I’m worried that once he settles things outside, will he then turn to target mom?"

My most vulnerable spot seemed to be harshly cut.

My mother’s life is like a sword hanging over my head; I don’t know when it might suddenly fall.

Timothy hasn’t touched mom’s equipment so far, which confuses me, yet I dare not relax for even a moment.

I can’t fathom his intentions, let alone know if he might change his mind in the next second.

The old lady also heard the phone conversation just now. She said, "Zoe, don’t just pretend to comfort me. Something mustn’t happen to your mother! Should I send a few reliable bodyguards over? Even if Timothy wants to come, they can at least hold him off for a while."

Having already thought of a strategy, I told the old lady, "Grandma, I’m not just comforting you, I won’t give Timothy this chance to harm my mom."

After speaking, I turned and went back to the room, opened the computer.

Sophia wants to divert public opinion by smearing me? Then I’ll just have to expose the truth in the sunlight!

If she can speak, so can I.

As a journalist, can I not stand against a woman who can only resort to shrewish behavior?

My fingers flew rapidly across the keyboard, organizing Timothy Xavier’s use of my mother’s medical equipment to threaten and force me into compromising, word by word.

From the first time he used the equipment as leverage to demand I conceal his relationship with Serena, to later when Sophia pressured him to stop the equipment, although he refused, he always held this trump card.

I wrote down all the details without any reservation, finally attaching the hospital’s equipment usage proof, as well as an uploaded recording from when Sophia and Faye Warren used the equipment to threaten me in front of her villa, forcing me to admit to being a mistress.

Finally, I clicked publish.

But I didn’t expose anything related to Doris.

Because I cannot let Doris get dragged into this turmoil, cannot let her walk anywhere in the future and be pointed at, with people saying, "That’s Timothy Xavier and Zoe Ellison’s child, once raised by a mistress."

But just the fact that "The Xavier Family threatened me with my mother’s life" was enough to stir up a storm.

Sure enough, after the post was released, the whole internet exploded.

The people who were previously criticizing me grew silent, and more people began to empathize with my plight.

Public opinion once again reversed; everyone focused on the Xavier Family, waiting for their explanation.

I watched the comments that were continuously refreshing on the screen and gently sighed with relief.

Now that I’ve brought things to the surface, the Xavier Family dares not act rashly.

The eyes of people nationwide are focused on them; they are already deeply mired in public scrutiny.

If, at this moment, Timothy really dares to stop my mother’s equipment, it would be equivalent to openly admitting, putting himself on the grill, becoming an enemy of all righteous people.

Unless he truly no longer wishes for the Xavier Group to survive.

...

At Xavier Group.

The atmosphere was as heavy as if it had frozen over.

The PR department employees were all at their workstations, with the sound of keyboards clacking and phones ringing one after another.

Since Zoe Ellison exposed the marriage certificate, they hadn’t closed their eyes, but the wildfire of public opinion not only wasn’t extinguished but was burning even more fiercely.

Jack Sullivan clutched his phone, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and walked quietly into Timothy Xavier’s office, keeping his voice extremely low: "President Xavier, ma’am... ma’am just made the equipment matter public."

Timothy’s body stiffened abruptly, a flash of incredulous shock passing through his eyes.

He immediately reached out to click open the webpage on the computer, and there on the screen was the essay posted by Zoe Ellison.

Just a few hundred words, without any extra emotionalism, but it clearly detailed how the Xavier Family had used her mother’s medical equipment as leverage, supported by a recording.

Each word was like a knife, completely tearing away the Xavier Family’s mask of shame.

The comment section had already erupted, with filthy and foul language surging in like a tide, stinging his eyes.

"Is this the act of a human? Timothy Xavier, have you no sense of fairness! Divorce Zoe Ellison at once, leave her alone! With a mother like yours giving birth to a bastard like you, it’s no wonder!"

"Boycott Xavier Group! From today on, my family won’t buy anything under the Xavier name, won’t feed money to a scumbag and a mistress!"

"Zoe Ellison must have been terribly unlucky to marry into your Xavier Family! Your mom turns black into white, you cheat and hurt others, your whole family is bound for the eighteenth level of hell sooner or later!"

Jack Sullivan stood by, watching Timothy’s tense jawline and ever-darkening expression, feeling his heart leap to his throat.

He said cautiously, "President Xavier, the PR team is already tirelessly working to control the narrative and issue statements. But... right now, Xavier’s stock price can hardly hold on, and several partners who were originally going to sign contracts have suddenly said they want to observe for a while longer and have postponed the signing date."